


He Smiles

by TNKT



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Anxiety, Caring David (Camp Camp), Caring Gwen (Camp Camp), Character Development, David & Gwen Friendship, Depression, Developing Friendships, Drug Withdrawal, Gen, Headaches & Migraines, Hiding Medical Issues, Hurt David (Camp Camp), Hurt/Comfort, Love/Hate, Medication, Medicinal Drug Use, Mental Health Issues, Nightmares, No Romance, Pre-Canon, Self-Esteem Issues, Sick David (Camp Camp), Tired Gwen (Camp Camp), Understanding, Whump, Withdrawal, when an Optimist meets a Pessimist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:49:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24946402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TNKT/pseuds/TNKT
Summary: Gwen didn't know what she'd hoped for in her first summer camp gig but getting saddled with miniature terrors, a creepy quartermaster, a fraudulous camp owner and a hyper co-counselor definitely wasn't it. Nevertheless, it was money and she needed it. Hell, the simple fact she had a cabin to sleep in for the three months was good enough. The problem was that David was supposed to be just like her, a young adult trying to figure out the ways of their fucked-up world and scrabbling for control over his life just like she had been for what felt like an eternity; and the guy was none of that. He was smiley, bright-eyed, always motivated, unbelievablyhappy. Gwen couldn't stand him.
Relationships: David & Gwen (Camp Camp)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 101





	He Smiles

A thin man with red hair, happy green eyes and a wide grin greeted Gwen at the entrance of the camp she was going to be working at as a counselor for the forseeable future.

"Howdy, co-counselor!" he exclaimed as soon as she stepped off the bus and away from the freaky hobo-looking, snot-sniffing, ball-scratching, weird-smelling bus driver with a missing eye and a hook hand (that couldn't be safe to drive with, what the hell was up with the security regulations in that vehicle) that she hoped never to see ever again. 

Gwen squinted at the light radiating from the man's enthusiastic face, who'd stuck his hand out even though she had no free hands to shake it with. He'd just said _Howdy_ out loud. Was he being serious?

He cheerily said: "Welcome to Camp Campbell! My name's David and I just _know_ we're going to have a great time together, you and I!"

A bit unsettled by this not-miserable, totally-at-ease guy who was visibly nothing like her, Gwen had a moment of huge doubt. Maybe she wasn't in the right place. Maybe this guy wasn't really a counselor. Maybe he wasn't even real- he didn't look real. But David's hand was still outstretched and he was still waiting for her to say something and the blank between them was growing awkward, so she warily put down one of her bags and half-heartedly grabbed his hand. "Uh, I'm Gwen."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Gwen!" he happily said with an excited hand shake that nearly dislocated her shoulder. David let go of her and completely ignored the unpleasant glare she shot him as she rubbed her shoulder, suddenly producing a guitar from who knows where. "Now, as I'm sure you know, it's tradition at Camp Campbell to sing a camp song to the newcomers and you're no exception!"

Gwen raised a finger. "Could you just tell me where I can put my stuff first?"

"Oh, of course! Silly me," laughed David, and the guitar disappeared again. Somehow. "I'll show you the way to our cabin!"

Gwen was suddenly struck with the realization that she was going to have to live with this guy for three months. Her first reflex was to think, _Oh hell no_. Then she relented: maybe he was just excited for her first day. Maybe he wasn't always this energetic. God, she sure hoped he wasn't. She picked her bag off the ground and followed David's bouncy step through the camp and her alarm grew as she caught sight of the various set-ups that seemed to each have a theme like the ones listed in the brochure: chemistry, theater, magic, arts and crafts, gym... They all looked like someone had just found a shipwreck and slapped a few scavenged planks together then called it a day. A lot of the structures looked unsteady and unsafe.

"David?"

"Yes, Gwen?"

"Is this going to get fixed soon?"

David's green gaze swept over the diverse workshops and then he spun around to face her and lightly inquired: "What do you mean?"

Gwen had a bad feeling in her gut. "I mean, these can't be safe for kids. Hell, it wouldn't be safe for us."

"Language, Gwen," he tutted. "You're going to have to be more careful about that when they arrive. Heck is fine, though."

She had the not-so-unexpected urge to hit him. "Whatever. You didn't answer my question."

"This is just how the camp is," said David.

"You're kidding." Gwen stopped walking, and so did David. She was incredulous. " _This_ is the place we're supposed to make sure no kids die in?! When we're supposed to let them play in _there?!_ "

"Well," admitted David, "there's also the fact that we don't have a lot of money. The budget is quite limited. I've asked Mister Campbell about it before but he says it's fine the way it is, and Mister Campbell knows what he's doing. Everything will be fine, Gwen."

Gwen stared at him for a while and then shook her head. "Just show me the goddamn cabin." When she saw the disapproving crease of his brow and the way his mouth opened, she warningly said: "Don't."

David closed his mouth.

After that, Gwen discovered that the cabin was, well, pretty okay all things considered. Sure, there were bugs everywhere and she saw a mouse run under the bed but they were in the middle of the forest and she'd mentally prepared herself for this kind of thing. They had running hot water and a bed each, and she thanked the skies there was a television in here. This really wasn't the worst place to live in for the next months, even if she had to share it with sunshine and roses over there who was trying to pass off their living space for a five-star hotel room. By now she'd understood it was probably better to just let him. She set down her bags and David proceeded to show her the rest of the camp. The mess hall was nice too, though the wooden floor and walls were stained an unidentifiable color.

"I tried to clean it," David told her. "It won't go away."

"What is it?"

"I have no idea," he earnestly answered.

Great. Gwen sat down at one of the tables and asked: "How long have you been a counselor here?"

"Years!" exclaimed David with a big smile, and his eyes sparkled with pride. "Mister Campbell has assigned me the honored task of making sure this camp stays alive through the years. I was a camper here myself, you know."

"And was it always... like this?" asked Gwen, gesturing vaguely around herself and notably towards the crummy structures outside.

"It's part of the charm," quickly said David. "Quartermaster's been around forever, too, even though we're not quite sure that what he does in his free time is entirely legal."

"Quartermaster?" echoed Gwen.

"He's the bus driver," he informed her.

 _Oh hell no._ "You mean he hangs out here?"

"Of course, how else would he accomplish his work?"

Gwen reeled with the revelation that the hobo bus driver would be lurking around the camp she was to live in all summer. She'd probably have to talk to him and work with him. "Oh no."

David seemed to sense her distress because he brightly said: "Now, how about that camp song?"

Out popped the guitar. Gwen didn't even answer but he sang anyway. It was catchy and his energy ended up pulling her out of her momentary shock. She had to hand it to him, he knew how to make a good tune. She'd never pull that off. She didn't want to touch a guitar ever anyway, it reminded her of her stupid dad and that was the last thing she wanted. 

When David was done springing around and strumming his guitar, she conceded: "Nice."

"Thanks!" he beamed. Little did they know that in two weeks' time, Gwen would groan every single time she saw the guitar appear from behind David's back.

The campers arrived soon after and Gwen realized just how in and over her head she was with the whole running after screaming kids business. Not only was she still hardly over the fact that her future was likely going nowhere with the studies she was currently wading through, but this place just _sucked_. It was just as dangerous for the kids as she'd thought it would be, not to mention the kids were a danger to _themselves_ to begin with, and the owner of the camp always side-stepped her questions about the budget and safety measures- because yeah, as it turned out, David wasn't the greatest at handling those and Gwen had had to step in sooner than later. It was a miracle David had managed Camp Campbell's survival as long as he had. The owner had given him this responsability but not the means to do it correctly, as the meager budget attested, and Gwen quickly made up her mind that Cameron Campbell was a fraudulous manipulative asshole and David an overly trusting and impressionable asshole. She couldn't stand either of them. Why was she here? What the fuck was she doing with her life? 

David did have his moments when Gwen thought she might've liked him, though. Like when he stepped in when he saw that she was this close to snapping at the kids for being monstrous little freaks and helped her calm down afterwards. Like when he suggested they watch Bob Ross on the evenings Gwen clearly was on the verge of exploding. Like when he declared she could be the first to shower in the morning. Like when he made her coffee at the same time as he made his. Like when he caught her pitifully sobbing in their sanitaries because her life sucked too much, and gently called out to her to open the door so they could talk. David didn't judge her for her moments of weakness. She hadn't thought he would, he wasn't the type, but she was used to getting scorned for her stupid choices and people always grew tired of her nervous breakdowns eventually. No one in her family took her struggles seriously, her friends preferred when she kept her complaints to herself, and Gwen had taken to regularly crying alone in the sink or the bathtub. But David didn't seem to mind. He was oddly perceptive to her moods for someone so naive and there were multiple times when she'd thought she'd fooled him about the way she felt just like she fooled others, where it turned out he'd been onto her the whole time. David sought her out on bad days and stayed with her until she calmed down. He told her about good things and lifted her spirits.

But sometimes his optimism burned her and she wanted to claw at his face. Sometimes hearing him say he believed in her made Gwen want to strangle him. What did _he_ know? They'd only known each other for half a summer. He'd told her he hadn't pursued any degrees, so what did he know about how useless hers were? She'd helped him with the finances for the camp so of course he'd think she was always this helpful, but what did he know about how worthless she was the rest of the year, when no one needed her help? He already had a job aside from summer camp that he'd had from the start, so what did he know about the horrors of getting fired and being forced to go on a job-hunt while juggling with university assignements? He was always so bright and so optimistic that Gwen couldn't help but jealously wonder if he'd ever had to deal with half the shit she had to. 

His energy was in the constant highs and he didn't even need that much sleep to be fully functioning. Nature was what he loved and he slept with _a log_ , for crying out loud. Sometimes he was so hyper that there were nights when he didn't even sleep at all. He sprouted wings whenever Campbell was around. Naming constellations was enough to get him starry-eyed. She'd yet to see him skip through sunny fields of flowers but that was only because there were no sunny fields of flowers in Camp Campbell. Gwen refused to believe that someone as happy as him could exist, and she looked out for signs that it was all a facade, but had to face the conclusion that David was just like that. Terminally cheery.

When she finally used her vacation days to retreat, she wasn't sure how she felt. Unmoored, because David had been a steadfast physical presence over the last two months and it felt strange to lose him all of a sudden. Kind of scared, because the world looked darker and bigger without David's exuberance. Definitely happy to get rid of Cameron Campbell's bullshit, the little shits that had made her life hell, the bugs, the creepy quartermaster and the ridiculously dangerous forest for at least a few days until she had to return to that damned camp. Her life in the city wasn't glamorous but at least it was much less chaotic. She'd take boring, depressing routine over backtalking brats and cataclysmic disasters any day. There was even a _volcano_ right next to the camp, for fuck's sake! Ugh, whatever. At least their deaths would be quick when it erupted so close.

It was only when she was back to her small, cramped flat that she realized she could breathe freely. That maybe it wasn't just the chaos of Camp Campbell that had led her to need a break. She was relieved to be free of David's constant optimism. Yes, David had helped her. But he'd also made her feel hopeless and choking when he was high on life and she was down here, stuck in the shitty phase between carefree teen years and adulthood with a job and a house. It wasn't fair that he got to be that happy when she was like this. She'd thought her co-counselor would be similar to her. They were the same age, stuck in the same shitty place, doing the same shitty job, and it was supposed to be because they both desperately needed money. But no, David liked it there. He was a camp counselor because he wanted to be and because that was his purpose in life.

He was the kind of person Gwen usually avoided back home because their positivity just made her feel even shittier, but because she couldn't avoid him at camp, she could only hate him. She hated that he had his shit together when she didn't. She hated that even for someone who had their shit together, David smiled way too much. She hated that one single person could contain so much joy, joy which she didn't feel an ounce of unless she was drowning herself in a fictional world.

It was bullshit. Gwen couldn't stand him. The thought that she'd needed to seek refuge in her tiny apartment which she hated just because she couldn't handle David's happiness made hot tears well in her eyes. She was so bitter. She'd always been bitter but not like this, never to the extent that she hated someone for just being happy. Gwen slid down along the door to sit on the ground and laid her head on her crossed arms, over her knees, and sobbed. She was so tired. She just wanted to be happy. David had managed it, why couldn't she?

* * *

Gwen spent the last day of her break steeling herself for her return to Camp Campbell, telling herself that it would be fine, that she'd only have to endure living with her opposite for one more month before she'd be free to return to her shitty life for a whole year without constantly comparing herself to Sunshine Man. David was overjoyed to have her back and she had to restrain herself from punching him in his stupid grinning face, surprised by her own vitriolic hatred that had surged forth without warning. Had taking a break to reflect on the situation made things worse? It seemed it had. 

Now Gwen couldn't stop rolling her eyes facing away from him every time David started the day with a : "Gooooood morning, Gwen!"

She couldn't stop inwardly recoiling when David brightly turned to her so she'd explain the day's planned activities with him to the children.

The coffee he made for her was difficult to drink now.

She told him to take the first shower.

When Gwen had another breakdown, she screamed at him to go away as soon as she heard his footsteps in their cabin and refused to listen to his coaxing voice. When she finally stepped out of the sanitaries and he reached out to her, she swatted his arm away and escaped without looking at him.

She didn't want to watch Bob Ross with him anymore. David looked a bit taken aback when she insisted to watch Doctor Who instead, but he didn't insist.

She hated him for taking over handling the kids when she got too pissed, even though she knew he didn't mean to offend her or make her feel inadequate. Hated that he was so much better at this than she was. That he was so much better at everything.

She wouldn't show it to him, her dislike only transpired through her exasperation every time he was overly giddy and energetic. It was a strange relationship that she maintained with David and oftentimes Gwen felt like an imposter and a hypocrite, because he seemed to genuinely like her and she did nothing to stop him from feeling that way. So while she simmered in quiet resentment and barely hidden jealousy, he made her smile and paid attention to her and made sure she was as happy as she could be in a place like Camp Campbell. Then something changed.

Gwen had convinced herself she didn't really care for the other counselor so she would've been unable to say when it started, but she did notice when David didn't try to reach out to her on one of her bad days. She felt a bit wounded by that because it was a repeat of every other time someone had given up on her, but it was what she deserved. She didn't linger on David's decision for too long and they didn't talk about it. David kept smiling and she kept pretending she was _just_ tired and snappy. 

Because she was looking out for any sign of David acknowledging that he hadn't attempted to comfort her, she saw that he was moving more than usual the next day. He'd always been restless, always found stuff to do, always found somewhere to go, but now it looked like he couldn't ever stand completely still. She found him very jumpy during the dodgeball match. He didn't stop sweating even after the game was over while they were just cleaning up the place together.

"Hey, David?"

He instantly shot up from the spot he'd been crouching in. "Yes, Gwen?"

Gwen studied him. "Are you sick?"

He looked genuinely confused, and after a short moment of silence he said: "No. Do I look like I'm sick?"

"You're sweating a lot," she pointed out.

David wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and considered it. "You're right. I think I'm just hot, all that running around and excitement, you know?"

Gwen hadn't participated, she'd been referee. "I guess."

That night, she woke up in the early hours of the day to the sound of shifting. David usually fell asleep pretty late and woke up pretty early, but when she blearily reached for her phone the screen showed it was way early even for David. Dreaming then? It wasn't his usual sleep-mumbling about pine and cedar and birch. When Gwen flashed the light of her phone in the direction of the other counselor's bed, she saw that he'd gotten tangled in his bedsheets and was trying and failing to get out of them.

"David?" she said in a sleepy voice.

"No!" he yelled, and she startled completely awake.

"David," she repeated, louder this time.

"No..." David's voice was strained.

Gwen hit the light switch and barked: " _David!_ "

The man bolted upright in his bed, but entangled as he was he promptly fell over and hit the ground with an "oof". Gwen winced and got out of her own bed to help him get rid of the bedsheets, and then she pulled at his shoulder as he pushed himself up in a sitting position. He looked embarrassed.

"Sorry, Gwen. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"Better not," grumbled Gwen. She was always grumpy when someone interrupted her sleep but David looked pretty pitiful so she held back her mean comments. His face was all sweaty, just like earlier. "Are you sure you're not sick?"

David shook his head. "Oh, no, I'm fine. I guess it was just a nightmare." He chuckled nervously. "I don't usually get those, sorry. I don't even remember what it was about."

Gwen looked him over one more time and said: "You're absolutely sure nothing's wrong."

"Right as rain," confirmed David.

She rubbed her face. "We need separate cabins." 

"I'll ask Mister Campbell about it."

"No, he's just going to dazzle you with his stupid inspirational stories which you'll fall for because you're the most gullible man on the planet, and then he'll hop on a helicopter and leave without answering. I'll do it." Gwen sighed. "Let's just go back to bed for now."

"Sounds like a plan," agreed David with a smile. It looked tired. Then again, it was the middle of the night.

In the morning, Gwen's watchful gaze rarely left David. Something was definitely up. He looked paler than usual and she'd seen him stumble a bit when exiting the bathroom. When he sat down, she saw him wince and he leaned forward with his forehead in the palm of his hand.

"What's the matter?" she finally asked.

"Ah, I think I have a migraine," admitted David. Then he lifted his head up and smiled at her reassuringly. "But don't worry, it won't stop me from supervising today's activities."

Suspicious, Gwen asked: "Did you hit your head when you fell last night?"

"A little bit, but I don't think it's linked. I've had concussions before and this doesn't feel anything like it. I'm fine," he repeated with a smile. It looked really tired. It wasn't a David smile.

Gwen watched him sip his coffee and eventually said: "David, maybe you should rest today."

He looked at her. She'd expected surprise or indignation, but instead David's green eyes were strangely hard. "Why?"

"You've been acting weird."

David frowned. "No, I haven't."

"You have. You look like something's wrong with you and I don't know why, and if you're telling the truth that you're not sick, then you don't know why either."

"Well, Gwen, maybe I don't feel like telling you," David retorted in an uncharacteristically sharp tone. 

Her eyes widened in shock, and so did his. 

David let go of his mug and promptly covered his mouth, looking horrified, his cheeks reddening in shame. "I'm- I'm sorry, Gwen. I'm very sorry."

Gwen's feelings weren't hurt, far from it. She was more surprised that David had it in him to be irritated at anything. Then she realized what he'd just said and asked: "What haven't you told me?"

David dropped his gaze and his hands to his mug. "It's... It's not a big deal."

"It kind of is. Whatever it is, it's making you like this." 

Gwen didn't know why she was being such a nosy bitch. Maybe because for the first time since she'd met David, he didn't look as perfectly happy with life as he always did. Maybe because he looked human sitting in front of her right now, with his pale face and his headache and his nightmare and his shame. She wasn't annoyed by his presence anymore. She was curious and she felt concerned.

David still wasn't facing her. He opened his mouth and hesitantly said: "I... Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I should've been honest." His hand came up to massage his forehead and he took a few seconds to ride out what was probably a burst of pain. Then he settled it back down on the table but didn't continue. They were silent for a bit.

"About what?" quietly asked Gwen

David let out a nervous chuckle and covered his eyes. "Gosh, this is... It's so stupid. I should've paid more attention. I just... I have a treatment that I usually take and I can't find my refill prescription, and I can't go to the doctor's before tomorrow, so in the meantime I have to do without. That's all."

"David..." Gwen felt like she was walking on unsteady ground. "What kind of treatment?"

He finally looked at her, and she could see that he was afraid. "I try to be happy. It's better that way for everyone. And sometimes I can't do it on my own and I need to take pills for it. I promise I'm not insane or anything, okay? They help, that's all."

Gwen's heart was heavy. She'd been so entitled to think she was the only one with problems. "David-"

"I'm not an addict," he hurriedly rambled on. "It's just that this kind of treatment isn't supposed to be cut off so abruptly and that's why I'm having withdrawal symptoms. I know you said I've been acting weird but I'm not on drugs or anything like that, I promise. I won't hurt the kids because of this, it's not going to make me act crazy, usually I only get dizziness and headaches and I'm a bit anxious. That's all. I promise I'm not insa-"

"God, David, stop!" Gwen interrupted him, and he instantly closed his mouth. She could see he was expecting her to say something mean so Gwen quickly added: "I'm wasn't going to accuse you of any of that! I know about mental health, I'm going for a dual major in psychology, remember?"

"Oh, okay," said David, but he looked cautious like he didn't quite believe her.

Gwen's concern kept growing. "Have people told you that before? That you're an addict or that you're crazy?"

"Just... a few." 

"They were wrong," heatedly asserted Gwen. "Don't listen to them."

David let out a low chuckle, and he sounded more tired than ever before. "It's not that easy, you know."

Gwen nodded. "Yeah." Unfortunately, she did know.

Silence lingered over their heads.

"I'm sorry I lied to you," said David.

"You didn't lie," she told him firmly. "Everyone's got the right to keep their issues to themselves. I'm more worried about how you're going to fare without your pills until tomorrow."

David shrugged lightly, drank his coffee, and when he was done he brightly smiled at Gwen. "I'll be fine."

"Wh- No, _no_. You're taking the day off."

David was already standing and brushing off her concerns with a cheery: "It's fine, it's fine! It's only until tomorrow."

It was scary how quickly he'd changed from tired and ashamed to light-hearted and bubbly, and Gwen understood with a final certainty that all the times she'd hated David for being joyful, she'd been dead wrong to. Obviously he'd had to deal with some shit too. The difference between them was that he didn't let it bring him down, whereas Gwen did, and now it was blatantly obvious that she'd only be looking for excuses to feel less shitty about this truth. Gwen knew she had a tendency to throw herself pity parties way too often but she'd always figured anyone as depressed and anxious as her would do the same, that it came in the wonderful package of mental health issues. It was what she'd heard and seen around her for a while.

David was proof that she'd been wrong. But then again, David's way of handling his own problems didn't seem super healthy either considering he was willing to go out there and face the kids in his state. He was clearly the type of guy to ignore his limitations. 

Who had been helping _him_ this whole time?

When David was hit by another wave of dizziness on the way out and reached out to catch himself against the wall, Gwen was there to steady him. He was caught off guard by the sudden weight of the hand on his shoulder and looked down at her, and Gwen was the one to offer him a comforting smile, for once.

"Go lie down, you idiot. I can handle the camp alone for one day."

"But it's my responsability-"

"To make sure you're in top health so you can look after the kids, yep, I agree. Come on, I owe you this for all the times you've let me off the hook."

**Author's Note:**

> Hey pumpkin!  
> I have a project of writing a Camp Camp fic with my friend Lokiitama so I've been watching the series from the start and looking a bit into the fandom, and I got inspired to write how Gwen and David met and how they first interacted. I won't lie, a big part of the inspiration was wanting to write how Gwen would react upon learning that cheery David has issues because that had to make for some interesting hurt/comfort ;)
> 
> Thanks for reading, leave a comment if you feel like it!
> 
> * * *
> 
> Come by and say hi on [Tumblr](https://lost-tanuki.tumblr.com/), and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/losttanuki)!
> 
> I now have a Discord server called the Pumpkin Patch server, you can pm me on Tumblr/Twitter to join. I'm looking forward to seeing you there!


End file.
